The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1887-03-17

AIt+uil AnN tNitIIl~tiNA HAItHIr anu Att@aA 44A
an imposing r8w stood the merchant princes
behind lhc.r treasures, the ouyicd OF an that
little world They needed no laws or police
for protection, as their muscles were as mulh
feared as thCir stores were coveted.
B4,tic myself aud a new prisoner hE the
name Of Murphy formed mess. There was
poor blauilo; between ms for a shelter and my
valiso furnished articles 90 trade for something
20 leHEtaCu the prison ration uI Tor
TOBACCO TO SMOKE.
We dusa place wide enough for u7 three 10
lie En- sidyvIsn, as vc could not possibly stretch
the blanket 10 cover more space and shed the
rain. The blanket was stretched oygra litI.e
ridge pole the edges reaching io ihe ground
aud the dug ont wa. deep enough io sll mp lh
uuder tHD blanket On one side 0i The doorway
we made clay fireplace and chimney 10 uill'ze
what little wood we could get, or bc allowed 10
90 out and carry n. Our mess WAS way up ln
thc world having shelter aud tho Nh,Te"lih
to procure some meal and tobacco We could
go in out ol the rain, could enjoy the luxury oi
"a smoke and we could have Cruel besides our
ratious To hc sure a couple OF sponnluis ol
meal boiled ln quart OF water without SAT-
was not very high living, but ID warmed Us.
We tried 60 find some amusement 10 pass lAe
time ] carved set 0f CaCs9mun, and my
friend Fpurus NuIutosh. musician For the
battalion, who had brought ip "a bottle oi rcd
lnk gave 30 % me go color one sct provided 4
would allow him 81 use them samc Bat chess
PLAYING WAS q failure. Hunger was ever pres
cut ana prevented attention 10
Any sUwrcT EXCEPT EEEAD.
I Al night il gave us dreams Of fca~ts which
/ heightened the reality when we awoke. 70 nae
I this icastIug in aIeam was almost WgAily oc-
curruCe the walking up only 20 lnd myself
intensely hungry was one ol the ioriHrrs oi lhe
7 place Smoking WAS about the only thing We
..-H d q D. .HrF = HIf Ne
. tiou 90 distract our thouEAts and cheat our
stomacbs life woald have been a much greater
4 burden.
our ratious were about a pint Of cooked cow
4 peas perhaps third or halt pound ol corn
bread aud q small quantity Of moias-cS or meal
alternately each day. They were issued about
. DO a. no., aud In nearly every case were con-
eumcd ON the spot; then q fast Tor -i hours.
The prisoners grew selfish and hardened f;
4 they neither gave for 10 would only cut their
own lives So much shorter; nor begged,
! for they expected nothing unless It might he
! called begging .dr one TO say 10 another, Mis-
1 ter when You are done with your chew ol To-
/ hacco please lct me have it.' For my part
formed ua Gc4UguIJaCCS and almost aNol"r0
obtaining amy knowledge Of The misery auu
! DEGRADATION there; enough WAS forced on my
I observation % almost drive me 10 distraction.
The days dragged along one like another
4 for "a month. when, ON the llth day 81 AoYem-
/ bor al the prisoners able TO be moved were
/ sCut farther cast,
TO MILLEN PRISON,
/ or stoekadc. where we remained about 10 days
/ I'D was "a frosty morning when we went ln, and
/ uaar thc entrance Oh the outside were three ur
tour prisoners ymg on the ground with their
feet n the stocks One or two appeared b. me
90 be dead. There was an abundance of good
water at Elllun, and that is abOal all iha' could
De said for the place.
We were then removed TO Savannah and
kept there u faw days. The trip i'gm Mlllcu
t0 savannah was very severe oa account of the
frosty nights The wind whi-tlcd through The
opcu cattle cars and chilled as 20 tac bones
Somewhere on the way we were taken OH lu
the woods and fed all the mush wc could cat
il was m23e IN several immense lIaa kettles
During the day sat in the car door watching
au opportunity to Jump of, but As ihe guard
seemed yiglut made no attempt.
We lelt Savannah 0n the Atlantic q Gull
Rair0ld which must have been about Dec l.
I-Gl. When crossing the bridge over the Alta
maha River the bridge guard spat upon as
which was lu keeping with the character OF al
the Home Guards that we had met.
About eight or ten miles south OF that river
the train stopped for wood and water. 1t wa
getting dark and growing cold. The guards
allowed us 10 move around, and some got OF
the cars, slappiug their arms around thcil
bodies to get mp a circulation. Bostic was on
of the latter who would take every privileg
he could get. lie finally sat down behind
cord Of wood beside the track, without sayini
"by your leave, and staid there. After a littl
q guard said,
, HAS THAT YANK COME BACllR"
Several answered, Yes, half an hour ago
That settled Bostic, rs he could hear plainly al
, that was said, and be knew a good thing whc
he had IT,
got of also 10 warm un and determine
not 60 get ON again. As | trOtted up and dow
I noticed the guard turn his back 10 protec
3 himself from the cold wind, and taking adyau
, tagc, slipped under the car and remained ther,
on the side toward the wind, believing IA
D Johuaics were so cold as TO make them rccB
! less if only they could keep the keen wind on
D Of their own bosoms. As heard no inquiry
D ] knew that ! had not been missed. The chi,
danger Of escape was 10 come, as on the rea
car was an iron kettle full Of blazing pine knot
. and. if / could find nothing 10 hide bchinC
5 would make an easy mark.
/, The train started. ] hung on TO the rod ur
= der the side Of the car aud ran along until
could not keep up, when ] saw bunch {
e grass, sprang out and iattened myself b.
S hind il,
SHUT MY EYES AND WAITED
When heard the umblng Of the train grow
}, ing fainter, j pcoped out and took Ion
o breath Of free air aud stood up. / wake
k back and found Bos,ic; we two went farth,
h back and found a athiTd man. We said, "Whcl
{, shall we goY" lie said, 81 am going TO IL
j. nearest house TO get something 10 cat" Ihi
II wac the last we saw OF him.
70 ! should say here that before ] got Off tl
"a train gave my yalise to an Englishman :
o name Of T0mlinson, ] think, who said ]
should never make any attempt TO escap
T. The contents were 10 be his If did not rctur
a Nearly All prisoners have a plan perfect,
ID for escape, SO that If they get away, no time
li lost in determining where 10 60 Bostic and
d immediately commenced TO carry out our
"a Our theory was that Sherman had been Il
le cause Of our removal from AndcrsouVille, IA
l. from Mllen, aud from Savannah, so that If v
p should go back up the river cross il aud
G, north, we should strike him on his way ca,
81 The theory was correct, as several others
ce our battalion escaped from the same train late
a and fell in Shcrman's track
AND WERE SAVED.
Bostic and ] went back the railroad sever
e miles, passed through the village Of Docto
m town. but could Gnd no road leading up d
m river. Finally we gave up going back on d
e, railroad, as we knew we could not cross Z
~ river on the railroad bridge, and the count
he for miles between DOctortoWn and the brid
Is, was covered with water, so we took a lit
woods road and followed IL some dstan
al through the timber, until we saw a light nic
" ering through the Chinks Of log cabin. Y
be knocked at the door and after a time il beg
n 10 open slowly and a pistol began 10 come ol
h We told the man who We were and he asked
or 10 come in.
lie We were nearly worn out, and il was necessa
Et.a 4.1a, 10. g..